Joy Behar’s vaccination remark underscores heated debate as U.S. immunization rates slip and trust in public health wanes

Joy Behar's three-word message to unvaccinated audience members on The View on Tuesday drew nationwide attention as health officials reported ongoing declines in childhood immunization rates and mounting skepticism toward public-health guidance.

During a discussion prompted by a poll finding that about one in six parents delayed or skipped vaccines for their children, Behar cut in: 'If you're not vaccinated, don't come back.'

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg noted that the audience largely included vaccinated people and asked when they'd been vaccinated; most raised their hands, prompting Goldberg to quip: 'And you're all still alive? I'm just checking.' Sunny Hostin called the statistic 'terrifying.'

The latest data show vaccination rates among kindergarteners slipped for the third consecutive school year, with measles protection at 92.5 percent, down from 95.2 percent in 2019–2020, and similar declines for whooping cough (95.2 to 92.1) and polio (95 to 92.5). At the same time, trust in public health agencies has declined, with a Kaiser Family Foundation poll indicating fewer than half of respondents have confidence in the FDA or the CDC.

In the political arena, Florida became the first state to say it would drop school-entry vaccine requirements, a move that drew pushback but was publicly supported by some lawmakers and parents. A few days later, President Donald Trump weighed in from the Oval Office, urging parents to vaccinate and warning that failing to do so could endanger others.

During the Tuesday taping, all The View co-hosts expressed strong support for vaccination. Behar later argued that some parents avoid vaccines because they are getting information from 'the top,' joking that the head of Health and Human Services should take the job. Hostin added that the concept of herd immunity is not merely theoretical and questioned how many children could become severely ill or die without broad vaccination.

The broader context includes evolving federal guidance on immunizations. In May this year, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared at a Senate hearing and said he did not expect the CDC to change its recommendations for the measles, mumps and rubella shot, adding that he believes parents should be free to vaccinate. He offered no further explanation when asked whether parents who want to vaccinate would be free and able to do so, saying simply, 'I assume they will be.'

Together, the episode reflects how health, politics and information ecosystems intersect in the United States as communities navigate vaccination decisions, trust in authorities, and policy shifts amid continuing public health challenges.